It’s been a long time since my computer scanned for a wifi network and found nothing—either locked or unlocked.
My pastel green curtains are suspended from a lopsided metal bar.
The paint is chipping off the white plaster wall.
I have a pet gecko, not by choice.
Mosquitos own the bathroom, so I keep the door closed and shower only when absolutely necessary. Even poking my head in from some toilet paper to blow my nose is a tough decision.
I have a solid wood-framed mirror, but you can’t put anything on the shelf that extends below it, as it will fall off, defeating the purpose of a shelf unless you think of it as a game.
The ceiling has holes where there used to be mosquito netting, but with screens on the window the resort took the netting down in my room. Others still have it, though, so I hung my own netting from the fan above my bed.
That fan—a luxury I pay 300 extra baht for—$10/night. My room is one of the most expensive at 1500 for two beds—750 per person. I could get a smaller, cheaper bungalow up the road with more mosquitos, no screens, a more disgusting bathroom for 600 a night, but I’ll stick with my just a couple tiny ants that invade my bed and attack my ankles.
I was so happy to see my friends, Ginette and Normand this evening. After walking along Ton Sai beach to Railay, watching a gorgeous sunset, and trudging back in my flipfops (I remember why I don’t wear flipflops—they hurt my feet), I finally ran in to them at one of the open-air restaurants. What a sight for sore eyes. Since internet is inconvenient I hadn’t heard from them all day and the reception staff didn’t understand what I wanted to know when I asked what room they were in. They hadn’t given me their room number so I’d been keeping my eyes open for them. They had emailed me back later that day but as there’s no wifi and I didn’t want to go hang out in the internet café nearby when I could be taking a much needed nap, I hadn’t received news that they were looking for me and had given their room # to me on facebook. I booked my DWS trip tomorrow, and Normand even canceled the groups plans to go into a cave across Railay so I could join them on the excursion the following day. Now I just need to not fall on rocks and hurt myself and I’ll get to do both. Great people, Normand and Ginette.
And they’re giving me a roommate, which saves me a bunch of money. For at least a week I’ll be rooming with another Montrealer from my climbing gym. I’d never met him but a friend of Normand and Ginette is a friend of mine, and its quaint to speak French on a Thai island surrounded by English, Spanish, German, and Swedish speakers…and a handful of thais. The locals row the longtail boats with the swinging oars that guide the gas-powered ship across the waters from Ao Nang to the beaches. Others cook at Mama C’s food stall. I gave her my “gluten-free” explanation sheet in Thai and she made me a special pad thai with no soy sauce. I don’t think MSG-free” was on that sheet, though, because I was awfully thirsty afterwards, and I can’t check ingredients myself as it’s all written in Thai. The locals work the three climbing shops, the massage shops, and the clothing shops in the area, too. At Base Camp Tonsai the guys made fun of my huge bag when I lugged it onto my back. They smiled and nodded when I asked if they thought it was funny. They know enough English to make friends with the tourists…and they respect climbers, which is the most important part. We’ll see how today goes, if I feel comfortable in their hands and they take me to giant cliffs overlooking the ocean and expect me to fall or jump in.
Off to the beach for sunrise before figuring out my housing partnership for the next week, a buffet breakfast (I’ll just eat the peeled fruit. My papaya shake for supper yesterday was what my stomach needed after 3 days of Lara bars and a heavy pad Thai), and maybe some internet.
Sometimes all you need is a smiling face.
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